Loading...

Product Description

Get Precise Results with the 13 Amp Circular Saw from Craftsman

The Craftsman Corded 7-1/4'' Circular Saw 10871 comes equipped with a 13 Amp motor and 24-tooth carbide tipped blade. With its powerful motor and sharp blade, you can effortlessly take on crosscuts, ripping, beveling and plunge cuts. Its ball-bearing motor delivers 5000 RPM to saw through a variety of hard and soft woods. Over-sized locking levers allow you to adjust the beveling capacity so you can make angled cuts with ease.

User-friendly features such as the ergonomically-designed hand and soft grip make the 13 amp circular saw comfortable to use on the job site day after day. An LED work light helps you cut straight on the line even if lighting is poor. Powerful and reliable with a Craftsman one-year warranty, this saw is a must-have tool for pros and hobbyists alike.

The Craftsman Corded 7-1/4'' Circular Saw 10871 is a versatile and user-friendly tool

Overall, others give this:

Overall Rating Breakdown:

Reviewers may have received a benefit, like a sweepstakes entry or rewards program points, in exchange for writing a review.
Those benefits were not conditioned on the positive or negative content of the review.

Most Helpful Reviews

Praise22 found this helpful

Mr-Mac

Mar 9 , 2011

Craftsman 7 1/4" 13 amp circular saw

I was working on tearing down my old deck to prepare for the new one and in the process my trusty old Craftsman 2 hp circular saw gave up the ghost. The good news, if such a thing is possible at that point, is that my saw died after it finished the last cut I needed from it. Rest in peace, my old friend, rest in peace.

Out with the old and in with the new!

I went to Sears today and was mulling over my choices for a new circular saw. I saw the usual suspects hanging on the display wall, Skil, DeWalt, Craftsman, Porter Cable, Bosch and so on. I picked up the Evolv saw and at $40 it was sure light and anemic feeling. Skil was better and DeWalt was okay as well, but the Craftsman 13 amp saw had many more features than either of these two and the price was parked right in the middle. The choice was clear.

I got my new saw home and opened it up. According to the wife I am somewhat of an enigma in that despite the fact that I am a guy, the first thing I do is look at the owner's manual. I'm a guy who has worked as a design engineer and a tech writer and know the importance of understanding a tool before you ever employ it!

There are several features this saw boasts at the $70 price point that saws priced 50% can't claim and that's what makes this an even better bargain. How many circular saws have you seen that can cut past 45? on purpose? In other words, this saw can cut 52? and you can confirm that by looking at the bevel gauge!

A couple of other huge features for me are the adjustment levers. My old saw had small wing nuts at the points of adjustment and for a guy with big hands they were not all that easy to get to. This saw eliminates that issue for me with two large paddle style levers that are long enough to provide the torque needed to lock it in place without too much effort on the user's part! Simple, but nice!

Another key feature for me is the handle. Again, I have large hands and not all tools fit all hands! The old saw's handle was pretty thin and my fingers would wrap all the way around and using the saw would be uncomfortable after a few cuts. The new saw has a much larger grip and the front assist handle is more than just a pommel style and is well placed.

If those features were the key features of this saw then I'd still be pleased at the $70 (minus 10% for my military service) price, but, we have more to go!

The cool things about this saw that my old eyes love is the Laser Trac(C) laser and the work light! Thank you, Sears and Craftsman! How long did we have to deal with sawing a straight line and needed to see past the dust to where we're going with the blade and fund that at the end of the job we were out of breath trying to keep it in a straight line? The laser is cast forward of the blade and makes it easy in any light to see!

Some really cool things about this saw are the top mounted laser on/off switch, an onboard wrench, the spindle lock button, well marked bevel gauge and a really cool depth of cut scale on the back of the housing and an 8-foot cord! There is an optional straight edge guide slot and there is even a way to fine tune the saw to a perfect 90? cut with a set screw!

Assembly was pretty straight forward as you can imagine since the only thing you need to do is install the blade. The on board wrench locks in well and takes a little effort to draw it from it's perch (that's a good thing) and the spindle lock makes loosening/tightening the spindle clamping screw a cinch! The blade itself is carbide tipped with 24 teeth and is a general purpose blade that, while it won't win any awards, will cut through a 2x4 in a heartbeat!

Using the saw is nice s there isn't anywhere near the vibration of my old saw with a new blade in it. A few 2x4s with it and your hand tingles a bit and your arms hurt from the weight. At just over 17 pounds this saw is a good three pounds lighter than the old but that lighter weight is important after a day of use!

So many features on this saw and any other retailer might push the price to over $100 but Craftsman understands its customers and chooses to keep costs down and they did a great job with this one!

Criticism7 found this helpful

galenval

Apr 28 , 2013

Unsafe!

I have a 20 year old Craftsman circular saw. It works fine. It has a safety switch which must be depressed by the thumb before the trigger will engage. This is a VERY IMPORTANT safety feature. When you carry the saw around, you cannot accidental depress the trigger and start the saw. The new saw does not have this safety feature. The area on the handle reserved for the safety switch is now occupied by the laser switch. A VERY BAD trade off. Also, when I made a cut and set the saw down on the concrete garage saw, the guard STUCK in an open position and now I have a gouge in my floor.
Everyone who is experienced with power tools recognizes that the circular saw is the most dangerous of all powered hand tools. There is simply no way to be too careful with these saws. They will take your fingers or cut your leg half way through in an instant.. This tool was obviously designed by someone who had no knowledge of these saws
This is a dangerous product and will be going back to the store.

My son-in-law is in the middle of restoring a house and his circular croaked. It was over 10 years old. I bought this for him and he's been very pleased with it. It doesn't stick no matter what he cuts and it's lighter than his old one so he's real happy about that!

This is the circular saw that was the best price with the highest rating. My husband hasn't used it yet but I know he will really like it since the saw he has is only a 6". He prefers Craftsman merchandise.

This is the second circular saw I have purchased this year; one for each of my two young adult daughters. Neither girl has a boy friend that knows lefty-loosie or righty-tightie so I am equipping my girls with tool kits and slowly teaching them how to use them.
Both saws cost about the same price. The first was a 15 amp S--L Saw. While it seemed well built, three things about it bothered me: It was somewhat heavy, the safety button was very hard to operate with the trigger, and worst of all neither the V notch guide nor the laser guide lined up with the blade. The guides were not adjustable. This resulted in bad cuts, wasted wood and do-overs. This 13 amp Craftsman has none of these problems. It is nearly two pounds lighter - that is significant - yet is rock-steady and has excellent balance. The trigger is easy and safer to operate. But best of all, this saw cuts accurately: The V notch guide is adjustable to your preference for cutting either to the left or to the right or through your pencil line. The laser guide and blade line up perfectly. I am also impressed by the saw's power: It cuts as strongly as the 15 amp saw. The fit and finish is good for a $70 saw. The overall feel in your hands is one of comfortable control. While only time will tell, this feels like a saw that is likely to provide years of good service.
My only disappointment (and hence my one star deduction) is that, contrary to the write-up in this site, the saw does not come with either a case (nor bag) or a rip guide. The box contained just the saw, a 24 tooth carbide tip blade (a decent one) and a blade wrench. Fortunately, I had an extra tool bag and a spare rip guide that fit.

This saw is a very well made saw. It makes accurate cuts and is very powerful and versatile. If you are only going to have one saw in your arsenal, this is the one to have. I have a table saw, a 10" Craftsman sliding compound miter saw, a worm drive saw, and two other circular saws neither of which is nearly as good as this one. 2 yrs ago I bought the Bolt-On system with the trim saw (and almost all the other attachments too). I rarely use this saw now because for most of what I cut, the little trim saw works fine.
I have owned/used many circular saws over the years. I like this one the best!